The world is upside down in moral degradation and the church to turn it right side up is an authentic Pentecostal church, according to the head of the Assemblies of God.
-
(Photo: AG News / Paul M. Walsh)In his last keynote address at a General Council as general superintendent, Thomas E. Trask makes an impassioned plea for Assemblies of God constituents to remain faithful to fundamental scriptural truths.
Thomas E. Trask is retiring from his post as general superintendent of the largest Pentecostal denomination in the nation. But before he steps down this year, he made an emotional plea to tens of thousands of "brothers and sisters" not to let a "spineless" Christianity enter the Assemblies of God.
"Many churches in America today [are] offering ... new religion that guarantees no hell, requires no holiness," Trask said Wednesday night in his farewell sermon at the Assemblies of God’s 52nd General Council in Indianapolis. "It is a limp, spineless Christianity that does not confront sin for fear of being judgmental. It is an impotent gospel that tells people everything is okay."
"May it never ... invade this church!" the retiring leader urged the Pentecostals.
Trask unexpectedly announced last month that he will step down from office, two years earlier than his term ends. Attendants of the General Council meeting were scheduled to vote Thursday afternoon for a new head.
Often praised for his passion for the lost, Trask believes the world has fallen into moral collapse and that the Assemblies of God has the responsibility to impact the billions of people who do not yet know Jesus Christ.
"We're not in the business of window-dressing sinners ... of making sinners comfortable," said Trask, reminding the Pentecostals that Jesus was confrontational and yet his followers grew in multitudes. Unless pulpits become a steady voice against evil, the church will be anemic and powerless, he said.
According to the Pentecostal leader, five things are causing the nation's moral collapse. The first Trask listed is situational ethics in which biblical absolutes are rejected even by some churches. Second, Trask warned against cultural seduction in which America is witnessing a blurring of sexual roles, same-sex ”marriage,“ homosexuality and co-habiting outside institutional marriage.
"For these sins, Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed," noted Trask, who was referring to the biblical cities that were destroyed by God for their sins, including sexual deviation.
Third is cultural accommodation. Scriptures are being viewed as irrelevant and outdated on such issues as abortion, social drinking and divorce, said Trask. Fourth is inclusive salvation, in which everyone goes to heaven.
"Let me remind us again, this theology [of] making everybody happy and trying to placate the sinner while they're on their way to a lost eternity – God will hold us accountable and responsible," Trask stressed.
Lastly, "we must never allow the Assemblies of God to become a passionate people with passionless pulpits," said Trask as he called for an authentic gospel, authentic messengers and an authentic Pentecostal church that is spirit-filled.
“Let us be people of conviction, not convention,” he said. “Let us be people of revival, not regression. Let us be a people of passion, not passiveness.”
A reception in honor of Trask that was to be held Wednesday night was cancelled due to Trask's desire not to cut the altar time short after the sermon. A Trask Appreciation Reception is scheduled for Friday evening.
RSS
I wonder why AOG people don't love the truth? Trask included.
I have been going to Assembly of God Churches almost all of my life. I have also listened to a couple of Trask's audio books. I think that his call is crucial to the future of A/G churches. I left one A/G church because the primary focus was family relationships. I left another A/G church because of a lack of conviction, a dumbing down of the sermons and a growing obscurity of clear Bible preaching (i.e. salvation, holiness, repentance, Holy Spirit baptism, sanctification, etc.). Nevertheless, I have also been involved with some of the finest A/G fellowships in the church world. One was very active in street evangelism, reaching out to the homeless and the hopeless, and had more street preachers than you could imagine. Another was a home mission’s church targeting Cabrini Green and another, the Robert Taylor housing projects both in Chicago. Both areas were riddled with gangs, drugs, murders, rapes, etc. Then of course you have churches like Metro Ministries in New York reaching out to children. Such commitment to the calling of God and dedication to the Word of God is of the utmost necessity. May God be glorified in our lives and honored by our deeds as a natural outworking of surrendered hearts and minds, He alone is worthy.
I agree with you TUPRBABE... Too many people have been deceived into this "Once saved, always saved" doctrine and the fear of GOD fades away and they start backsliding... we are to work out our salvation with fear and trembling.
See John 15:5-6: the parable of the vine and branches makes it unmistakably clear that CHRIST did not believe "once in the vine, always in the vine." Rather, JESUS gave His disciples a solemn but loving warning that it is indeed possible for true believers to ultimately abandon faith, turn their backs on JESUS, fail to abide in Him, and thus to be cast into the everlasting fire of hell...it is never a static relationship based soley on a past decision or experience, but rather it is a progressive relationship where the believer has been given the choice to "continue in His goodness: otherwise thou shall be cut off." (Rom 11:22) (some quotes taken from FLSB KJV)
Faith in GOD is to love Him with all our being, to fear Him, to believe in His WORD and turn from sin and abide in joyful, grateful and loving reverent obedience to Him.
GOD pours out His goodness upon us when we continuously press in to love and honor Him with the way we live our lives before Him! That's faith! Hallelujah!
By the way, I thought "perserverence of the saints" was to continuously press in against adversity to live consecrated lives in righteousness before the LORD.
TUPARBABE, my freind :) The doctrine of eternal security is not a "license" to sin. that is not the essence of its message.It is solely based and related to christ work upon the cross and his resurrection from the dead. No one is half saved and left to save themselves another half.No human can add or subtract for their eternal salvation. when you say a believers salvation is conditional (based on our behaviour/good works) then you are " emptying " the work of the cross. the verses you quoted about " chrisitians" going to hell is for wicked/ fake ones who appears to call Jesus as lord but inwardly has never repented and beleived in christ as their lord and savior. Though a believer will fall in sin, he/she (true beleivers) will always return and restored with godly sorrow and repentance to the lord (1 John 1:8 - 2:1). if you think your salvation is conditional, what will you do if you fail to keep his command completly?. The Apostle Paul addresses this issue in "Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?" (Galatians 3:3,)
lets be assured in the following verses:
"He is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. " (Hebrews 7:25). When you trust Jesus completely, He is "able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy" (Jude 24; Romans 10:9-13). So rest and be assured my dear one in christour savior.
While Mr. Trask's message is true and honest it was just as true before he decided to retire as it is now. While I am a non A G Pentecostal I believe it is the duty of all Bible believing christians to bring this message to an unsaved world,regardless of denomination.There will not be an A G only neighborhood in heaven and God is not leaving all of His worldly work in their hands.All believers are called to the great commision and we must all seek the part of it that God has in store for us.
I left a Southern Baptist church after being referred to Charles Stanley's "Eternal Security - Can You Be Sure?" - instead of the Bible - to answer my questions about salvation.
The book (which my pastor at the time said was "completely correct") teaches that "outer darkness, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth" IS NOT HELL, but rather is a place in Heaven where lazy, unfruitful, or even wicked "Christians" are weeping because they're watching their rewards burn up, and gnashing their teeth because they are frustrated with themselves for not having done more for Jesus.
"Once Saved, Always Saved", aka "Perseverance of the Saints" and "Eternal Security" is a non-biblical doctrine that promotes a license for immorality (Jude 3-4). If your pastor ever tells you that you are going to Heaven while you are consciously living in sin, RUN from that church!
The Bible clearly states that the believer's security is CONDITIONAL upon the continued faith of the believer (Rom. 2:7; 1 Cor. 6:9,10; 15:2; Col. 1:22,23; Gal. 6:8,9; Rev. 2:10,11). We can become an enemy of God again after initial salvation (Jam. 4:4b) and raging fire will consume the enemies of God (Heb. 10:27). A true Christian (or righteous person) can die spiritually because of sin (Ezek. 33:18; Rom. 8:13; James 1:14-16; Lk. 15:24; etc.) fall away (Lk. 8:13; Heb. 6:4-6; etc.) and never again return to Jesus, just as the Apostle Judas Iscariot and Solomon didn't return after they turned from the faith.
We are saved by grace (Eph. 2:8,9) but we can fall from grace (Gal. 5:2-4). We are justified by faith (Rom. 5:1) but our faith can become shipwrecked (1 Tim. 1:19,20) and cease to exist (Lk. 8:13; Rom. 11:19-23). We are not under the law (Rom. 6:14, 15) but if you live according to the sinful nature you will die (Rom. 8:13). Paul taught against legalism (Gal. 5:3,4) but he also taught that no immoral, impure or greedy person has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God (Eph. 5:5-7). We are not saved by works (Eph. 2:8,9) but to reap eternal life and not destruction you must sow to please the Spirit and not the sinful nature (Gal. 6:8,9). God is faithful to us (1 Jn. 1:9; 1 Cor. 10:13) but we must be faithful to him to the very end of our lives to escape the lake of fire or second death (Rev. 2:10,11). God surely loves us (Jn. 3:16; Mk. 10:21; Rom. 8:35-39) but those who inherit the kingdom of God love God (Jam 2:5; 1 Cor. 2:9) and to love God means to obey his commands (Jn. 14:15; 1 Jn. 5:3). We have freedom in Christ (Gal. 5:1) but this freedom is not to indulge the sinful nature (Gal. 5:13; 1 Pet 2:16).
AMEN brother Trask! Awake my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, we are in revelations right now. Only the true saints of the most high God will remain stand with Him in the last day when Christ appears. Do not be surprised or your faith shaken when we see the great falling away. Check out he gospel of the Kingdom message ===>> http://evolutionfacts.blogspot.com/#the_message_that_we_were_born_to_hear Let us advance and take the land we are well able. For this purpose was the son of God manifested, to destroy ALL the works of the evil one. Let us preach without fear. The truth of God's word is so POWERFUL that it instantly challeges and overthrows the agendas and philosophies of the rebellious and idoloters.
This is one of the reasons I joined an A/G church...I grew up in a biblical based church (on paper) but they had no spine. I now attend a large A/G church where the truth and honesty is preached and the minister is not afraid to step on toes. We are also a loving church who reaches out to those in need.
I cannot tell you how thankful I am for Trask's timely warning against apostasy! And I weep for the saints who are falling prey to the spineless Christianity he referred to. Recently, I wrote a letter to WARC (World Alliance of Reformed Churches) to protest against their disposing of the Bible as God's Word. I was ignored! May God bless you, pastor Trask!
Neels Malan Reformed Pastor Pretoria